


Meant To Be

by TrishaCollins



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Accidental Dog Acquisition, Accidental Kidnapping (On purpose?), Child Neglect, Dad!Cor, Gen, Patron Saint Of Patience, There are shrines to Monica in the Citadel walls
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-25
Updated: 2019-04-25
Packaged: 2020-02-04 09:19:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18601600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TrishaCollins/pseuds/TrishaCollins
Summary: There were three unwritten rules in the citadel that were as good as carved in the stones it rested on. Never tell Clarus about your love life, always let Titus win the last hand, and never get between Cor and his people.





	Meant To Be

There were three unwritten rules in the citadel that were as good as carved in the stones it rested on. Never tell Clarus about your love life, always let Titus win the last hand, and never get between Cor and his people.

Clarus was the only person who knew about the rules, which was the reason he had one of his own. Rumor had it that Titus was not nearly as much a sore loser as he pretended to be, but it amused him too much to correct anyone.

Cor, on the other hand, was to be feared and respected.

Which was why when he returned from lunch only to storm back out a minute later waving a memo that everyone in the area held their breath. "Who did this? Who left this? You couldn’t be bothered to call me and let know something this urgent?! I have this tracked for a reason! You are All a bunch of fucking idiots!"

Monica had long been considered the tempering influence on all three men, so though Cor would not notice - and everyone was glad not to be notice - everyone breathed a small sigh of relief when she stepped forward and took custody of the offending missive.

Crisis at least delayed, though it became a contest to see which of them could listen the most blatantly to the following conversation without getting caught.

"He's been missing for two hours!" Cor snarled.

Monica nodded, still reading the document, seemingly entirely immune to the man next to her.

It was the reason more than a few shrines to her were hidden in the Guard locker room.

"Seems he failed to come home after school." The offending memo was handed back.

Some of the watching Guard had to muffle shocked gasps at her daring. Nobody did things like that to Cor except Monica - and Clarus, who had a decent immunity to the lion's temper himself.

"Two hours! He could be dead by now!"

Monica nodded, thoughtful. "Well, we can search along his route. I find it more likely that he just got distracted. Maybe stopped at the arcade."

The fact that she had just attempted to use logic on an angry Leonis immediately solidified seven crushes, nearly caused a fainting spell, and caused two cadets to crack their heads together as they both tried to look at the same time. 

Leonis, brought up short by someone using his one true weakness paused, stared at Monica, and nodded. "Very well. We should go. We have wasted enough time."

While Lenois left - sparing the young cadet whose job it had been to alert the Marshal to the ping his temper - things didn't really relax. The lion was roused.

It was better to be ready.

*~* 

By the time they got to the other side of the city, he had consigned himself and whoever the idiot had been that had left the notification on his fucking desk.

The kid could be hurt or dead, and he had been sitting at lunch like an idiot.

He did not wait for Monica to stop the car - she had refused to go unless she drove, and in the interest of speeding things along he had agreed - and jumped out into the rain in front of Prompto's school.

God's be damned the rain would obscure any trail.

"His home is that way." Monica stated, indicating the road.

"I know where he lives, damnit." A neighbor had reported the boy was not home. Neither of his parents had answered their phones. A fucking neighbor. The kid was six years old!

Monica was silent in response. "I will go inside and check the security footage."

He ignored her, storming to the play yard to the school. Empty. No sign of the kid. The streets were empty, too early in the day for car traffic and too damned rainy for foot traffic. 

He walked slowly down the side walk he knew Prompto took - he had followed him home the first few weeks of sure to make certain of the route - listening intently for any sound of the child. 

He was almost to the shithole apartment the parents rented when he heard a soft whimper.

He turned down the narrow side street, still listening. Another soft whimper, and a manhole moved aside, a backpack sitting next to it entirely soaked through. "Kid?"

"You gotta help us!" A little voice burst out. "They was tryin to drown her!"

He was next to the drop, staring down at the wet blonde head barely above the water holding something smaller than him aloft a heart beat later.

The box fixed him with a pleading look. "I can't climb out with her."

He lay down, reaching down to grab the kid, only to get a ball of wet fur shoved into his hand. The boy scrambled up the ladder, shivering and reaching for the puppy, who was only just licking his hand. Some sort of terrier mix, with brown fur and a stubby nose. 

"I told you someone would come, Tiny." The boy cooed to the puppy, wrapping her ip in his shirt despite the fact that he was soaked entirely through.

He took off his jacket, bundling it around kid and dog. 

The kid accepted being picked up without ant fuss. "Don't forget my bag! Dad says I'm in trouble if I lose another one." 

He stopped back down to grab the soaked pack, slinging ir over his shoulder.

The boy looked impressed. "You're really strong! I couldn't even carry Tiny and my backpack. But you're carrying me too!"

"You're not that heavy." He gave the kid a squeeze, carrying him and the dog back towards the road. "She your dog?"

Prompto shook his head. "I can't keep her. Dad says i am too stupid for one. But those bigger boys were throwing her down tje hole and she's so little i knew she would drown. So I went down to get her and I got stuck..." The boy considered. "Could you keep her? Do you like dogs?"

Clarus would have a fit. The dog was small enough to fit in his damned hand, she was probably one of those Shaky things women liked.

"We'll find a place." He promised, as neutral as he could manage.

Prompto looked disappointed, petting the dog gently. She gave his hand a lick, clearly exhausted. "I just want her to go somewhere that'll be nice to her. And you're nice."

He snorted. "You just met me, kid." At least as far as the kid remembered.

Those same blue eyes peeled up at him, searching - he wasn't sure what for - before he nodded, as though something had been figured out. "But you're nice. I can tell."

A hundred guard he had trained would probably disagree.

Monica pulled up beside him in the car.

"Oh. You have to go, huh?" Prompto sighed. "My dad does things like that too  
Thanks for helping us."

"You're not done with me yet. We have to take Tiny to the vet to make sure she isn't hurt." And get the kid checked over while they were at it. The royal doctor could do both.

Another searching look, before the boy gave a tentative, gap toothed smile. "Ok "

*~* 

“He’s fine.” Dr. Lake told him flatly.

“You’re sure? He didn’t get sick. That water was dirty.” He was watching the kid through an observation window, dressed now in sweat pants and a faded t-shirt that one of the Guard had appeared with. Sometimes it paid to be the angriest person in the room. 

Prompto was playing with the dog – who according to Addy was also fine, just a little hungry. 

“Cor.” Addy’s voice was stern. “Look at me.”

Unwillingly, he turned to face her. 

“You have to let him go.”

“I-he was missing for two hours!” He protested. “Something could have happened to him. He could have been kidnapped. He nearly drowned.” 

“He was kidnapped. His parents in no way authorized you to bring him to the Citadel. You choose to give him up. You choose to have us find a set of adoptive parents. Who adopted him. Who gave him their name. Don’t think I don’t know that you’ve been stalking the boy. This isn’t healthy.” She scowled at him. “You have enough stress.”

“They’re neglecting him.”

“Then call in a report to child services. You choose to give him up, Cor. You can’t give him up and keep him at the same time. It’s not good for you, or for him.”

He looked away. “I feel responsible for him. It’s my fault he’s here.”

“You are the reason he has a chance at life, Cor. If you were anyone but the Marshal of the Kingsguard and you were using your power to stalk a child we would be having this conversation in a jail. He is not your child. You have to let him go. If they’re neglecting him, call child services. Let them look into it. But you need to stop.” 

He nodded, drawing in a shuddering breath. 

Addy touched his arm gently. “If you wanted him this bad you should have kept him. But what is done is done. He’s adopted. He has parents. He doesn’t need you.” 

He winced at the coolness of the words. “Right. Yeah. You’re…you’re right.” As much as it hurt that the kid he’d rescued might not need him, she was right. He had given Prompto up to give him a chance at a normal life. A normal life with a pair of parents who could take care of him. 

“Good. Now take him home.” Addy gave him a little push. 

He nodded, walking to the door of the observation room. “Ready to go?”

“Yeah! Is Tiny coming with us? Did you find her a home?” Prompto picked up the little dog, who panted up at him with the stupidest expression on her face. 

“Yeah, she can come with us. Maybe your dad will change his mind.”

Addy made a rude noise behind him.

He offered Prompto a hand, and the kid took it eagerly, letting himself be led down to the parking lot. 

“Mr. Marshal?” The kid asked.

“Cor. Kid. Just…Cor.” 

Prompto considered that. “Mr. Cor?” 

“Yeah?” 

“You promise you’ll find Tiny a good home when my dad says no?” Those blue eyes locked on him, pleading. 

“Yeah. I promise.” He gave the tiny hand a squeeze. “She won’t end up back on the streets.”

Prompto beamed at him, leaning against his leg as they walked to his car. He got the kid buckled in, wrapped around the dog. 

He was pretty sure they were both asleep before he left the parking lot with them.

*~*

His parents still weren’t home when they got there. The neighbor woman fussed over the boy, admiring the little dog and his esteemed company in equal measure. Maybe she would keep the dog? 

“Where are they?”

The woman shrugged, clearly not seeing it as a problem. “Nessa travels for work, Faust is….somewhere. I’m sure. I try to keep an eye on Prompto when they’re not here.” Her tone implied that was very often.

“When were they last home?” He asked the kid.

Prompto seemed to think about it, during which time Tiny licked his face. “Mom’s not been back in awhile. She’s in Galdin, I think. Dad….” The kid shrugged. “They leave me gil for food.”

He looked between the boy and the neighbor, growing dread in his stomach. “How long has it been since you saw them?” 

“Me? Oh. Two weeks, probably. Faust stumbled in after one of his jaunts. Chocobo racing, you know.” She shrugged, resting her hand on Prompto’s shoulder. “We get along. We’re both Nifs at heart.” She smiled a sad smile. 

Prompto wrinkled his nose a bit, but didn’t correct the woman. 

“I need to make a call.” To Clarus, probably, because he doubted the child services worker or the adoption agency would take kindly to him calling their directors late in the evening to scream at them.

“Of course, Mr. Leonis. Thank you for looking after Prompto.”

*~*

“So.” He said to the kid, watching Tiny dance around his feet. “What do you think?”

“It’s bigger than my entire apartment. All of this for me?” Prompto spun in the middle of the room, nearly tripping over the dog. 

“Yep.” He tapped the painted letters on the door. “All of this for you.” 

Because some things were clearly meant to be.


End file.
